November 13, 2014

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini & St. Stanislaus Kostka, S.J.

Lk 17: 20-25

Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.” Then he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. They will say to you, ‘Look there!’ or ‘Look here!’ Do not go, do not set off in pursuit. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must endure much suffering and be rejected by this generation.

Embracing the Kingdom

The kingdom of God is among you–you who will make Jesus suffer greatly and reject him.

We have God with us and we reject God. This is how it always is. We are complex and contradictory. Think of the pacifists who lack peace, the justice advocates who treat the people around them unjustly. Think of pro-lifers so full of fury and judgment that you wonder why someone would want to be born into their world in the first place. An athlete who glorifies God with his or her body between the goalposts in the afternoon and poisons the same body later that night.

This, of course, is all of us. And yet, in ways lovely or hidden or charming or baffling, the kingdom of God is always among us. Which makes the question a simple one: what do we do about it?

—Joe Hoover, S.J. is a Jesuit brother writing and acting in New York. He serves as poetry editor of America magazine and also works at St. Ignatius Grammar School.

Prayer

You are salt for the earth, O people: salt for the Kingdom of God! Share the flavor of life, O people: life in the Kingdom of God!

You are a seed of the Word, O people: bring forth the Kingdom of God. Seeds of mercy and seeds of justice, grow in the Kingdom of God!

Bring forth the Kingdom of mercy, bring forth the Kingdom of peace; bring forth the Kingdom of justice, bring forth the City of God!

At Loyola Medicine, “we also treat the human spirit. ®” Inspired by the vision of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits and our namesake, we care for our patients as whole people - body, mind and spirit - and seek to be a healing presence in our communities. Whether you are a patient, family member, clinician, chaplain, or student, we invite you to pray these reflections and prayers with us.

Submit a Prayer Request

When you submit your prayer request, our prayer team will personally reply to you.

Please know that your prayer will be remembered at Masses celebrated at the Loyola University Medical Center and the Loyola University Health Sciences Division, and in a special way by the Jesuit community of Oak Park.

All fields are optional except for the prayer request. Please know that will we only share your first name and complete request when praying for your intention. Your name and email address will never be shared with anyway, nor will you receive any additional correspondence from us.

If you are a current patient or family member receiving inpatient care and would like to request a visit from a chaplain or receive other services, please contact the Spiritual Care department at:

November 13, 2014

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini & St. Stanislaus Kostka, S.J.

Lk 17: 20-25

Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.” Then he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. They will say to you, ‘Look there!’ or ‘Look here!’ Do not go, do not set off in pursuit. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must endure much suffering and be rejected by this generation.

Embracing the Kingdom

The kingdom of God is among you–you who will make Jesus suffer greatly and reject him.

We have God with us and we reject God. This is how it always is. We are complex and contradictory. Think of the pacifists who lack peace, the justice advocates who treat the people around them unjustly. Think of pro-lifers so full of fury and judgment that you wonder why someone would want to be born into their world in the first place. An athlete who glorifies God with his or her body between the goalposts in the afternoon and poisons the same body later that night.

This, of course, is all of us. And yet, in ways lovely or hidden or charming or baffling, the kingdom of God is always among us. Which makes the question a simple one: what do we do about it?

—Joe Hoover, S.J. is a Jesuit brother writing and acting in New York. He serves as poetry editor of America magazine and also works at St. Ignatius Grammar School.

Prayer

You are salt for the earth, O people: salt for the Kingdom of God! Share the flavor of life, O people: life in the Kingdom of God!

You are a seed of the Word, O people: bring forth the Kingdom of God. Seeds of mercy and seeds of justice, grow in the Kingdom of God!

Bring forth the Kingdom of mercy, bring forth the Kingdom of peace; bring forth the Kingdom of justice, bring forth the City of God!